Launching your Boats.

[komatsu-mike]

I have a question to ask.  To the ones that fish from boats. 
 I am prevented from fishing when I could go fishing 85 % of the time. The reason being, the difficulty launching and loading my boat alone or the safety concerns I have with fishing on the boat alone. My long time fishing buddies have moved or have passed away. I still could just go shore fishing, but it just doesn't give me the enjoyment that it once did. ( due to stamina and conditioning )  COPD sucks. !!!
 Do any of you guys launch and load alone. Any tips or answers to my issue to get me on the water would be Great. The Ice is coming and I have a need for that 1.8 MPH trolling speed.
                                                                                                                               Thanks, Mike K.

[remo_5_0]

Mike,

I usually launch and load my boat alone, I do have a small flats skiff and unsure your boat size and physical limitations but all I do is have a long rope tied in my anchor locker, back the boat down until it floats off, grab the rope and move the boat to the dock and tie off. Go and park my truck. When I come back it is just a reverse order. Tie off, back the trailer down and pull the boat back on. Now, that being said, we always have rocks in the water here in Florida, not 100 percent sure how you would do it when they pull the courtesy docks in Utah unless you are going to beach the boat.

[RockyRaab2]

There are many Youtube vids on how to launch a boat alone, using nothing more than a length of rope. There are also ads for the Dakota launching system - if you have $300 to spare.

Many folks here launch and fish solo: tincan and dubob to mention just two. Next year, I will.

And there's always the option of posting here in advance for an eager co-angler.

[doitall5000]

Lots of us have the same issues, I am always looking to see if someone needs a hand. The long rope is what I do, but after driving the boat back onto the trailer the hard part is getting back in the truck.
I have started to bring an aluminum two step latter in the boat and drop it into the water to step out on. That means getting in the water. Or just climbing over the front into the truck bed. That can still be hard. Putting on boots helps.
I have seen on YouTube some people have installed two or three steel steps welded to the trailer near the winch, they step onto. I'm going to do that soon.
But the best answer is to double up with a new buddy. So make a post for someone like you to come along..

[fishskibum]

K I S S
is a good acrynam
the more stuffs you put on a boat the bigger the boat
the bigger the issue/ hassles
my drifty is on 2 rollers
and can solo launch anywhere i can back  the trailer to and not git stuck
and i dont need to even submerge my hubs
im too cheap and stubborn to give the state money for a motor but it wouldnt change much in my ability and solo launch options
i wouldnt call the tubes dudes rig simple
but it sure doesnt look like a tough solo launch

[Bduck]

COPD is not a deterrent for me at this time as I'm in that same boat. However, I went out & bought myself a bigger boat 4yrs better adapted to fishing. I do have a couple of friends that join me but there are times when they can't always go. I make launching as easy as possible and don't like to pass up an opportunity for an adventure whether alone or with good company. When the summer oven is sizzling I drift afar from the local to seek high country cooling, having had heat stroke before allows me to be picky of the watering hole during this time of year. That also requires addressing the stamina with the deprivation of wee hours of sleep for the longer drives for those 1.8mph trolling speeds. As long as the there is no hard deck I do float during the bitter chill on occasions. Having a complete enclosure with heat helps me tolerate the arthritic pain that accompanies the weary worn joints. But I have been trying to talk myself into some hard deck drilling and not sure if I'll succumb to the argument. Awareness of safety whether your a loner, with company, for any type fishing must stay in good practice even if you share a treble hook with a fish.  

[dubob]

Do any of you guys launch and load alone. Any tips or answers to my issue to get me on the water would be Great.
                                                                                                                               Thanks, Mike K.

I just looked at your profile Mike.  You've been a member here for 3 years and only have 12 posts - you need to get out more (and then tell us about it). 

As Rocky mentioned, I do go alone on occasions when I can't find a willing assistant.  I've never given a second thought to going solo.  It takes a little lounger to launch and retrieve the boat, but the process isn't any different.  When the water is warm, I wear shorts and water sandals to un-hook and hook the boat to the trailer.  When the water isn't warm enough for bare skin wadding, I wear a pair of breathable waders or hip boots to take care of those tasks.  I have an aftermarket ladder attached to the front of the trailer for easy access to the bow of the boat.

   

On launching, I just barely float the boat before wading in and unhooking the boat from the trailer.  I then hold the boat while climbing aboard via the ladder.  When I retrieve the boat, I leave the trailer high enough in the water that I have to power on the last couple of feet and that holds the boat in place while I climb down the front ladder and attach the rope and crank it the rest of the way onto the trailer and secure the safety chain.

Safety wise, I almost always wear my life vest while fishing solo.  It will make it easier for the Search & Rescue folks to find and retrieve the body if required.    I always let my bride know where I'll be fishing and when I expect to be back home.

Other than that, fishing solo doesn't present any hardships for me that would keep from going solo.  Except for one other consideration.  Curtesy docks!  The blankety, blank, blank park managers ALWAYS pull them way too early IMHO.  Some docks are pulled as early as late September and most are gone by mid October.  Our reservoirs don't even get skim ice until very late November or early December - ever.  So why do they need to pull them 6 to 8 weeks before there is ANY threat of ice?  Hint: they don't!   

My tips for going solo would be to be super safety conscious and move slower (think before doing) before doing anything.  It's easy to recover from stupid mistakes when you have a fishing partner on board; not so much when going solo.

[Mooseman75]

Bob I have that same ladder and I love it. It makes getting in my boat so much easier for me and my health problems. I took it off my old boat and I'm putting it on my new boat boat. That's why I like it's versatility as well. I know it pricey but if someone can afford I highly recommend them

[doitall5000]

This is the system I will install on my trailer. Fits my tracker.
https://youtu.be/-Vo22lb38gE
Its caller "easy step"

[dubob]

This is the system I will install on my trailer. Fits my tracker.
https://youtu.be/-Vo22lb38gE
Its caller "easy step"

I looked at those as well.  Because of my folding trailer hook-up and boat height, it wouldn't work for me as well as the one I have.  But it is an excellent choice as well, if it will work on the trailer with your boat.  ?

[Tin-Can]

I have a question to ask.  To the ones that fish from boats. 
 I am prevented from fishing when I could go fishing 85 % of the time. The reason being, the difficulty launching and loading my boat alone or the safety concerns I have with fishing on the boat alone. My long time fishing buddies have moved or have passed away. I still could just go shore fishing, but it just doesn't give me the enjoyment that it once did. ( due to stamina and conditioning )  COPD sucks. !!!
 Do any of you guys launch and load alone. Any tips or answers to my issue to get me on the water would be Great. The Ice is coming and I have a need for that 1.8 MPH trolling speed.
                                                                                                                               Thanks, Mike K.

 
 Mike, about 90% of the time, when I'm in my boat, I'm alone.  Of course, I don't have the big rigs like dubob, and bduck, and several others. I just have a small 14' Lund with a 25 hp Merc. 
Because I don't have the ability to protect myself in harsh weather on the boat, I pay close attention to the weather forecast.  I do have a full Bimini top that I can put up when the sun is really roasting. But not if it becomes too windy. 

Because I go fishing, to fish and not to wade or swim, I never touch  the water while launching or recovering. At any body of water that has sufficient docks available, I drop my tailgate, back the trailer down the ramp till the boat stern floats, put truck in park, set parking brake, roll down the drivers side windows, shut off engine, open drivers door, step out on my running board, walk to the truck bed, climb into the bed,  sit down on the tailgate, walk along the trailer tow  to the bow stand, unhook my safety chain, climb in the boat bow, go get motor started and sonar/GPS turned on, go back to bow and unhook ratchet strap, reverse boat motor and move off trailer. Get to the dock, catch a cleat and secure boat. Usually leave motor idling in neutral to let it warm up and be sure it's drawing water up thru the impeller.  Go move truck to parking spot, make sure all my windows are up, my day use park pass and mussel sheet is displayed on my dash, head back to the dock and hit the truck door locks on the way. 

Leaving the water is pretty much a reverse action.  In the 16 years I've owned a boat I've only been in the water once and that wasn't while I was launching or recovering.   But that's an embarrassing  story for some other time    .

I have seen a couple anglers that have pretty big rigs and really high tech bow mounts. Watched a  guy at Willard Bay earlier this summer. I was on the dock, getting ready to call it a day, my boat tied to the dock. Watched him back his trailer down, his boat floated off and I thought he had tied a long rope to the dock somewhere. He drove off to park his rig, and his boat just seemed to float in the marina. I didn't see any rope attached. As he was walking back down the dock ramp I was about to ask him if he needed my help to retrieve his wayward floating boat.  But before I could ask, I saw his bow mount deploy, and rotate, and bring the boat quite nicely up to the dock where he was standing.   Now that was cool to watch, but my boat too small for something like  that and I bet that system cost a whole bunch more  than I would want to spend.  


       

[PACKFAN]

Do any of you guys launch and load alone. Any tips or answers to my issue to get me on the water would be Great.
                                                                                                                               Thanks, Mike K.

I just looked at your profile Mike.  You've been a member here for 3 years and only have 12 posts - you need to get out more (and then tell us about it). 

As Rocky mentioned, I do go alone on occasions when I can't find a willing assistant.  I've never given a second thought to going solo.  It takes a little lounger to launch and retrieve the boat, but the process isn't any different.  When the water is warm, I wear shorts and water sandals to un-hook and hook the boat to the trailer.  When the water isn't warm enough for bare skin wadding, I wear a pair of breathable waders or hip boots to take care of those tasks.  I have an aftermarket ladder attached to the front of the trailer for easy access to the bow of the boat.

   

On launching, I just barely float the boat before wading in and unhooking the boat from the trailer.  I then hold the boat while climbing aboard via the ladder.  When I retrieve the boat, I leave the trailer high enough in the water that I have to power on the last couple of feet and that holds the boat in place while I climb down the front ladder and attach the rope and crank it the rest of the way onto the trailer and secure the safety chain.

Safety wise, I almost always wear my life vest while fishing solo.  It will make it easier for the Search & Rescue folks to find and retrieve the body if required.    I always let my bride know where I'll be fishing and when I expect to be back home.

Other than that, fishing solo doesn't present any hardships for me that would keep from going solo.  Except for one other consideration.  Curtesy docks!  The blankety, blank, blank park managers ALWAYS pull them way too early IMHO.  Some docks are pulled as early as late September and most are gone by mid October.  Our reservoirs don't even get skim ice until very late November or early December - ever.  So why do they need to pull them 6 to 8 weeks before there is ANY threat of ice?  Hint: they don't!   

My tips for going solo would be to be super safety conscious and move slower (think before doing) before doing anything.  It's easy to recover from stupid mistakes when you have a fishing partner on board; not so much when going solo.

I use that same Bow Mount system on my Crestliner, I love it.

[BURLEY]

Like Dubob, I wear shorts and sandals in the summer and hip boots in spring and fall. Because I sometimes fish lakes and rivers that don't have docks or I just need to hit the shore, I installed a ladder on my boat for getting in and out over the bow. it is a Stainless steel folding, colaspsing 3 step ladder. I ordered it from amazon five years ago. My thoughts was why not have the ladder with the boat and not back at the trailer. It sells for about $65.

[dubob]

Like Dubob, I wear shorts and sandals in the summer and hip boots in spring and fall. Because I sometimes fish lakes and rivers that don't have docks or I just need to hit the shore, I installed a ladder on my boat for getting in and out over the bow. it is a Stainless steel folding, colaspsing 3 step ladder. I ordered it from amazon five years ago. My thoughts was why not have the ladder with the boat and not back at the trailer. It sells for about $65.